Melrose Park man sentenced to 47 years in killing

A 32-year-old Melrose Park man who posed as a police officer while abducting a woman and killing her in 2005 was sentenced to 47 years in prison today.

Jorge Dominguez pleaded guilty in August to the murder of 53-year-old Luz Heredia of Melrose Park and to charges of aggravated kidnapping and robbery.

Cook County Judge James Zafiratos sentenced Dominguez to 36 years with no parole for first-degree murder, eight years for kidnapping and three years for robbery. He must serve 85 percent of the kidnapping sentence and 50 percent of the robbery sentence.

Mariano Heredia, 37, son of Luz Heredia, thought Dominguez, who was eligible for the death penalty, deserved a stiffer sentence.

"I knew he wasn't going to get the death penalty, but I didn't expect his sentence to be so lenient," he said. "At least he'll be an old man when he gets out. We're happy about that."

Dominguez, teary-eyed and wearing a yellow jumpsuit, read a statement before the sentence and apologized to his family and the victim's family.

"I am truly sorry for my actions," he said looking toward a dozen Heredia family members, all sitting together in the courtroom. "I was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I pray for your family every day."

Public defender John Conniff, who asked for a maximum of 20 years for Dominguez, said he was not happy with the sentence.

"He's a young man who had no criminal background before this incident," said Conniff. "He had a hard life. He was sexually abused when he was a boy and has a severe learning disability."

Assistant State's Atty. Maureen O'Brien, who was seeking the death penalty, was clearly frustrated by the sentence but said she respected the judge's decision.

During closing arguments, O'Brien said the murder was thought out.

"The bottom line is he is a functional person," O'Brien said. "There is no evidence he was on drugs. This crime took some thought."

Luz Heredia had been picked up by her car pool about 5 a.m. Sept. 26, 2005 at the corner of 20th Avenue and Lake Street in Melrose Park when a man the occupants of the car did not know approached their vehicle and flashed a badge.

Heredia told the co-worker who was driving to drive away because the man was not really a police officer. The driver pulled away, but the man got into his tan Chevy Tahoe and followed them while flashing his bright lights to get them to pull over.